So, we all have feelings. But are these feelings always true or truthful? Should we express our feelings or repress them? How can we deal with negative feelings? Should our feelings direct our lives? Should we “follow our hearts” as so many say? Should we do something if we’re “just not feeling it”?   All... Continue Reading

The Spirit persuades us about Jesus entirely on the basis of Jesus Himself. Yet this persuasion arises because the Father has sent Him, because Jesus gives evidence of who He is, and because the Spirit opens our blind eyes to recognize Him. As with Peter, our conviction is not a flesh-and-blood matter (Matt. 16:16–17); like... Continue Reading

Ray Ortlund writes about the importance of a gospel culture. The anemic church needs an infusion of both gospel doctrine and gospel culture. Your leadership will set the tone for the culture you want to create. Be patient. Love them. To lead the people away from an unhealthy culture, begin by showing that church love.   Some churches... Continue Reading

The core issue in this second tenet is the issue of sin.  Are people sinners?  If so, how big of a deal is it?  And, more than that, how important is that people know they are sinners? Should we tell them? And how we do balance people’s sinfulness with their potential as God’s image bearers?   “At... Continue Reading

Domestic spiritual abuse is using Scripture, biblical principles, or one’s spiritual authority to control a family member for selfish gain. The abuse may be sexual, physical, social, emotional, verbal, financial, and/or psychological in nature—but the key is that the abuser uses Christianity to justify the behavior. The hard heart of the abuser causes the mind to interpret... Continue Reading

Our busyness can cause us to miss God’s work, which is right in front of our face. I’m glad that church leaders are beginning to see this more and more. Many churches are pursuing a bit more “simple church.” We aren’t trying to keep the doors open eight days a week and have our schedules filled... Continue Reading

Consider the words of Saint Athanasius in his Letter to Marcellinus on the Psalms: “These words become like a mirror to the person singing them, so that he might perceive himself and the emotions of his soul” (§12). When he reads the Psalms he sees himself as if looking into mirror, reflecting back to him the emotions... Continue Reading

In February of last year Attorney General Jeff Sessions and Education Secretary Betsy DeVos rescinded the Obama Administration’s 2016 Dear Colleague guidance letter to public schools, which said that students must be allowed to use the bathroom that corresponds with the gender with which they self-identify and threatened to withhold federal funds if schools did... Continue Reading

Into a political, economic, and moral cauldron Peter Martyr was sent by Gasparo Cardinal Contarini (1483–1542), himself a fascinating figure without whom the Reformation might not ever have reached Italy nor Peter Martyr, whose initial work was to begin to clean up the Cathedral Chapter and the cloisters of Lucca.    It was on 18 April 1521 that... Continue Reading

A Christian church teaches the Bible. It is committed to the inerrancy, sufficiency, clarity, and authority of the Word of God and therefore preaches it week by week with confidence and consistency. A Christianish church teaches about the Bible. It is committed to imparting life lessons and uses the scriptures as a starting point to... Continue Reading